Ted's Future Family
by MWolfL
Summary: A story about how Ted and Audrey become an official couple and their relationship afterward. Takes place within Once-ler's Real Family, except for the last two chapters. TedXAudrey
1. Hearts of Nature

A.N. This story takes place in-between and after my first Lorax story Once-ler's Real Family, so some things that were previously mentioned in that story will be explained further here.

It was just a couple days after the animals returned to the valley. Ted and Audrey were sitting on the ground watching the animals play. Audrey was smiling peacefully, obviously loving being out in the valley. Ted however looked confused about something.

Lorax soon noticed Ted and Audrey and decided to say hi.

"Hi Truffula Hair, hi kid." He smiled.

Despite having known Ted as long as Audrey Lorax hadn't been able to think of a nickname for him. Same with Sally. Audrey was easy though, especially since Lorax rarely saw humans with bright and soft hair like hers. It was bright and soft enough to compare to the Truffula tufts. And with her hair being red, well, that just made coming up with a nickname even easier.

"Hello Lorax." Audrey smiled.

"Hi." Ted sounded distracted.

"Something wrong?" Lorax asked.

"Not really, it's just that when I first held the seed I...felt something." Ted explained. "Something I had never felt before. Then the feeling slowly became stronger, starting from when I planted the seed. It became overwhelming when the animals returned. It's still a little overwhelming."

"I've been feeling something too." Audrey admitted. "I think I've always felt it, but I didn't notice until I first held the seed. I then felt it again, except stronger, when the animals returned."

"I noticed how attached the animals became to you right away, and now after hearing this I believe I know what it is." Lorax smiled. "One sec..."

Lorax put his hands over Ted and Audrey's hearts, which made them feel kinda awkward. Especially since they had no idea what Lorax was doing. Lorax then smiled and stepped back.

"Thought as much, your hearts have become connected to nature." He explained. "It's a common trait for animals and guardians, but it's very rare for humans. What you two have been feeling was what nature had been feeling: gratefulness and love. With an added touch of protectiveness for nature."

Ted now smiled as much as Audrey.

"You know, Mother Nature and I have been wanting to reward you both for bringing the trees back." Lorax said.

"Oh neither of you have to do anything." Ted shook his head.

"Of course not, being able to enjoy the valley is reward enough." Audrey agreed.

"Well, you can't stop Mother Nature." Lorax chuckled.

Sure enough a gold mist appeared out of nowhere and flowed right into Ted's and Audrey's chests, right where their hearts are. Ted and Audrey both looked a bit freaked out at first, but relaxed when they realized that the mist wasn't going to harm them. Then they felt a warm glow in their hearts. After the glow faded somewhat Pipsqueak showed up.

"Hey, you two want to play?" He asked.

Ted and Audrey dropped their mouths open.

"What is it?" Pipsqueak shrugged, confused.

"You're-you're talking." Audrey was stunned. "I mean like a human."

"No I'm not-wait, you can understand me?" Pipsqueak was now stunned.

Ted and Audrey nodded. Lorax chuckled.

"That's your reward, you now can understand trees and animals." He explained. "Though it'll take a while to learn how to hear trees, they're very quiet."

There was a silence at that point. Ted and Audrey listened carefully and sure enough heard whispers. Most of the whispers were praises for the two of them, which made them blush.

"Uh, have they always been saying that stuff about us?" Ted asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Lorax chuckled.

It took a while but eventually Ted and Audrey got used to their new ability and were very happy about it. They left to tell their families, who were all very happy too. Well except for Once-ler, he seemed sad about something. Ted took him aside.

"What's wrong Grampy?" He asked.

"Nothing really, it's just...well, I guess I was a little jealous that's all." Once-ler admitted. "But I don't deserve to have the ability to understand trees and animals so I'm over it now."

"Of course you deserve the ability, both you and Grammy do." Ted shook his head.

Once-ler just hung his head. Ted realized that Once-ler still felt guilty about the past.

"Mother Nature just probably hasn't given you two the ability because you're still burdened with guilt." Ted explained before becoming stern: "You really should stop feeling guilty, remember it was really your mom's fault. You need to let go of the past and forgive yourself. You need to move on."

"I can't." Once-ler shed a tear. "I just can't. It still hurts."

Ted hugged him comfortingly.


	2. Lorax or Matchmaker?

A few days later Ted and Audrey visited the valley again, which they had decided to do whenever they got the chance. Audrey ran off ahead to play with the Barb-a-loots but Ted just stayed behind and watched her with a longing look. Lorax noticed.

"Hey kid, why don't you go play too?" He asked.

"I will in a moment." Ted sighed.

Lorax turned to where Ted was looking and smiled understandingly.

"You love her don't you?" He said.

"Yeah." Ted blushed. "I love her so much. I wish I could be with her, but-"

"Wait, you haven't told her yet?" Lorax was surprised.

"I can't, what if she rejects me? If she does it'll break my heart so much that-that I'll die." Ted clutched his heart.

"You're being foolish kid, I mean I can sense that she loves you back." Lorax frowned.

"Maybe as a friend." Ted shed a tear. "But I'm not good enough for her to become anything more."

Lorax groaned frustratedly. Then he got an idea.

"Say, you know with the river being much cleaner it's safe to travel on it." He smiled. "Why don't you two take a canoe ride later?"

"We actually had been thinking of that, at least since Grammy and Grampy bought the canoe a couple days ago." Ted agreed. "All right."

Once-ler was still a bit nervous about traveling on the river or even stepping into it so he and Norma bought the canoe to help him get over it. They hadn't taken a trip on it yet though...

Anyway, Ted went over to Audrey and suggested that they take a canoe ride later that night. Audrey agreed enthusiastically.

They didn't have trouble getting permission either...though hadn't been told why they had gotten permission so easily despite their confusion. It was simple: Sally, Once-ler, Norma, and even Audrey's parents wanted them to become a couple. After finding out how much trouble Ted went through just to get a tree for Audrey and later the whole town Audrey's parents ended up liking him enough to want him for a son-in-law. And Ted's family knew how much he loved Audrey, plus they really liked her.

So, that night, Ted and Audrey carried the canoe down to the river and started to enjoy the trip. It wasn't going to be a silent trip though.

"Time for a little romantic music." Lorax smiled to himself.

Pipsqueak suddenly went to the top of a tiny hill and started to sing, or at least vocalize. Even though he could make cute chirps and squeaks, his singing skills weren't exactly the best. They used to be good but got a bit worse as he aged. Ted and Audrey looked embarrassed...at least until Lorax grabbed Pipsqueak by the scruff and pulled him off the hill, cutting him off. Ted and Audrey sighed with relief.

"Barb-a-loots." Lorax scoffed to himself, annoyed. "Okay, Humming Fish?"

The Humming Fish, who had already been told of Lorax's plan, started to sing a romantic tune.

"Swomee-Swans?" Lorax said.

The Swomee-Swans also knew of Lorax's plan and started to vocalize to the Humming Fish's tune.

"And now words." Lorax smiled before starting to sing:

There you see her  
Sitting there across the way  
You don't got a lot to say  
'Cause there's something about her  
And you don't know why  
But you're dying to try  
You wanna kiss the girl

Audrey just smiled at the song, but Ted was even more embarrassed than before.

"_Just wait until I get ahold of that giant furry peanut!_" He thought angrily.

Yes, you want her  
Look at her, you know you do  
It's possible she wants you, too  
There is one way to ask her  
It don't take a word  
Not a single word  
Go on and kiss the girl

Sing with me now  
Sha-la-la-la-la-la  
My, oh, my  
Look at the boy too shy  
He ain't gonna kiss the girl  
Sha-la-la-la-la-la  
Ain't that sad  
Ain't it shame, too bad  
You gonna miss the girl

Ted and Audrey continued down the river. Audrey was enjoying the song but felt sorry for Ted, who was growing more and more embarrassed each second. He was even turning a bright red, though it wasn't that easy to see in the dark. When they reached the fork in the river they went down the right instead of the left, knowing about the waterfall. There they ended up in a pond surrounded by trees.

Now's your moment  
Floating on a blue pond  
Boy, you better do it before long  
No time will be better  
She don't say a word  
And she won't say a word  
Until you kiss the girl

In case the last three lines confuse anyone: Lorax knew that Audrey loved Ted back and figured that she hadn't said anything because she was waiting for Ted to make the first move.

Sha-la-la-la-la-la  
Don't be scared  
You got the mood prepared  
Go on and kiss the girl  
Sha-la-la-la-la-la  
Don't stop now  
Don't try to hide it how  
You wanna kiss the girl  
Sha-la-la-la-la-la  
Float along  
Listen to the song  
The song say kiss the girl  
Sha-la-la-la-la-la  
Music play  
Do what the music say  
You wanna kiss the girl

The Humming Fish were swimming around Ted and Audrey's canoe, causing it to spin slowly around. This and the music were finally working, Ted was too hypnotized to remember his fear or embarrassment. Instead his love had taken control. Audrey smiling lovingly at him helped a lot too. They automatically started to lean towards each other for a kiss...

You've got to kiss the girl  
Why don't you kiss the girl  
You gotta kiss the girl  
Go on and kiss the girl

Suddenly Pipsqueak, who had climbed onto the edge of a tree for a better look, fell into the pond. Ted and Audrey were so startled that they leaned away from the splash and ended up falling into the pond.

"*Doh!*" Lorax facepalmed frustratedly.

Ted and Audrey quickly came to the surface to breathe and grabbed onto the canoe. Pipsqueak, who had learned how to swim a long time ago, swam over to the canoe and climbed on. He looked at Ted and Audrey embarrassedly and apologetically, but he didn't have to worry. Ted and Audrey were laughing.

"Thanks for the unexpected bath, I guess I don't need a shower after all." Ted joked.

"We still should dry off though." Audrey pointed out.

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

They swam the canoe to shore and got out of the pond. They then started walking back to the Lurkhim, though this involved walking through the river to get to the other side. They didn't mind though, the canoe was lightweight and they were still pretty damp anyway. Fortunately Once-ler and Norma had left towels for them outside, just in case, so Ted and Audrey were able to dry off without the risk of waking them up Once they dried off they got onto Ted's scooter and drove back into town.


	3. Heartfelt Confessions

"Ted?" Audrey said as she dismounted outside her house.

"Yeah Audrey?" Ted was a little nervous.

"I actually had a great time tonight." She smiled at him.

Ted relaxed.

"Me too...though I'm going to have a few words with Lorax tomorrow." He said.

"It's okay, I liked the song." She smiled. "Meet me on my steps in a couple minutes, I'm going to get some blankets for us. It's kinda chilly."

"Well, maybe you should stay inside and warm up then." Ted suggested with a caring tone.

"No, I really need to talk to you." Audrey shook his head. "I'll be right back."

She left and went inside.

"Aw great, she knows." He groaned, dismounting and heading for the front steps.

Audrey soon came out with a couple blankets and gave Ted one.

"Thanks." He said as he wrapped himself.

"You're welcome." Audrey smiled as she sat down and wrapped herself. "Ted, you love me don't you?"

Ted cringed.

"It's okay, I've actually known for a long time." Audrey blushed.

Ted was shocked.

"What? But why didn't you say anything?" He asked.

"Because I was afraid that it was wishful thinking on my part." Audrey explained. "When you started paying extra attention to me, always wanting to hang out and constantly losing your stuff in my backyard..."

Ted blushed strongly at that.

"I guessed that you had developed feelings for me but I was scared that I was wrong." Audrey finished.

"Why would you be scared? Who wouldn't love you?" Ted was very confused.

"You're apparently the only one who does. See...I'm not that popular in school." Audrey admitted.

Ted looked nearly horrified.

"What?" He gasped.

"It's true, everyone thought of me as weird, especially for liking trees and other parts of nature." Audrey nodded. "This was before you brought the trees back of course. But even nowadays the other teenagers still think of me as weird. They did apologize for making fun of my love of nature but wouldn't go farther than that."

"I don't think you're weird." Ted shook his head.

"Thanks, it's good to hear it from someone other than my parents." Audrey smiled. "Ted, if you really do love me...please tell me. I want to hear it from your heart."

Ted paused at that, unsure. He was still scared of rejection. However Audrey did want to hear it and he'd do anything for her. He then looked into her eyes and instantly was mesmerized. He started to smile in a lovesick manner.

"Audrey, I love you more than my own life." He admitted.

Audrey suddenly hugged him.

"I love you more than my life too." She admitted.

Ted froze. He couldn't believe it.

"Y-you do?" He said.

"I have for months, even before you went to get the seed." Audrey grinned; she then looked a bit sad. "I didn't say anything before because I was enjoying the extra attention you were giving me. I didn't want it to stop." She hung her head. "I'm sorry for being selfish."

"Audrey you could never be selfish, and if I had been in your shoes I would've done the same thing." Ted shook his head. "Besides, you were scared that I didn't love you back, which happens to be the same reason why I didn't tell you my feelings sooner. You care about others, would do anything for them, and you spend quite a bit of your free time helping both people and nature. People like that aren't selfish."

"I'm glad you think that highly of me." Audrey smiled. "And I'm especially glad that you don't think I'm weird."

"Of course not, you're not weird you're just eccentric." Ted smiled back. "And I happen to find eccentrics attractive-" He then looked stunned. "Geez, I really do take after my dad and grandpa."

Audrey giggled.

"But seriously, you're very special." Ted sighed sadly. "Too special to be with an ordinary guy like me. I don't deserve you."

"Ted you aren't ordinary, and you definitely do deserve me." Audrey shook her head. "You're brave, caring, and selfless."

"Selfless?" Ted scoffed. "Audrey, the reason why I looked for a seed in the first place was to win your heart. That's not selfless."

"But remember, you later wanted to plant the seed to redeem Once-ler, restore nature to us, and give the town a better life. And you risked your life doing so too." Audrey pointed out. "That is selfless. Very selfless. You are an amazing guy Ted, and I'm lucky to have someone like you in my life. I'm the one who doesn't deserve a handsome, selfless, brave, caring, and sweet guy like you-"

Audrey was cut off by Ted kissing her. See while Audrey was talking Ted found himself feeling even more love for her. The love became so overwhelming that he lost control of himself and automatically kissed her. Audrey was cut off guard at first but then she smiled and returned the kiss. They felt as if their hearts had become one.

When they ended the kiss they gazed at each other.

"Wow, either my heart stopped or it's just beating too fast for me to feel it." Ted sighed happily.

"I know how you feel." Audrey grinned back.

She then snuggled into Ted. Ted smiled and wrapped his arms around her so that his blanket was covering both of them. He then rested his head on hers.

Eventually they recovered enough to be able to get up. They were kinda tired after all and needed to go to bed. Ted nearly floated back towards his scooter...when he stopped and smirked at a bush.

"I see you in there now get over here." He said.

Lorax appeared from behind the bush Ted was looking at and awkwardly walked over to him.

"Uh, hey kid." Lorax said.

"What was the meaning of that song earlier?" Ted continued smirking.

"Well I knew you two are meant to be together, I saw it like I saw your grandparents' connection, and I still wanted to reward you for bringing the trees back." Lorax shrugged.

Ted suddenly kneeled down and hugged Lorax. Lorax froze, because Ted was in the same position Once-ler had been in when he hugged Lorax upon his return.

"You really are Once-ler's grandson." Lorax chuckled. "Beansprout."

Ted broke apart a little and beamed at Lorax. Lorax realized that Ted had been hoping for a plant nickname like Once-ler's. Ted then looked emotional.

"Thank you." He nearly whispered.

Lorax just smiled.

Later Sally got her plant nickname: Sunflower. A tall and bold plant with a brown top.

Next month a sad thing happened: Melvin died. Once-ler was very upset but also was grateful that he got to see Melvin one last time. Melvin's son, Melvin Jr, was sad about his dad's death too. He and Once-ler ended up spending time together, comforting each other. Whenever Once-ler was close to crying, Melvin Jr came closer for a hug. Whenever Melvin Jr looked sad, Once-ler told him a story about his past with Melvin. The two ended up becoming very close friends

Obviously, Ted and Audrey started to date. A couple months passed and not too much had changed. Ted had gotten even more popular, up to the point of becoming a celebrity. He didn't like it, but he put up with it.


	4. Time Passes

A new statue was going to be built next to the first Truffula, one of Ted holding the seed. Once-ler was going to be in it as well, he was going to be behind Ted with his hand outstretched to represent him giving Ted the seed. Sally, Norma, and Audrey were to be included as well, with Audrey and Norma next to Ted and Sally behind them. When Ted found out, well, he was a bit embarrassed. He didn't ask for the statue not to be built though since it included his family and Audrey. Instead he insisted that Lorax be included to the statue as well, in front of his statue figure. He didn't want Lorax to be forgotten again. The council agreed and used the sketch Audrey had made of Lorax to add him to the statue. Lorax didn't mind so he let them go ahead with it.

After the statue was built people started to leave offerings to Lorax in front of his statue version. Lorax found out when he decided to check on the first Truffula one night. The following day he decided to show up again, allowing the people to see him. It wasn't long before everyone knew him, though he only became friends with a select few. Very few.

One day Ted was blissfully driving around town. He and Audrey were going to meet up in the food court and have lunch before heading out into the valley. Audrey hadn't shown up yet, probably finishing another painting, so Ted got off his scooter and rested near the first Truffula. Some pretty girls approached him.

"Hi Ted." One brunette smiled.

"Uh, hi." Ted didn't know these girls obviously.

"So, we were wondering if you wanted to hang out with us? You can join us for lunch, or if you have plans you can have dinner with one of us." The brunette suggested.

Ted sighed, he had a feeling he'd have to deal with fangirls sooner or later.

"Sorry girls but my heart's already taken." He stood up, suddenly seeing Audrey. "In fact it was taken many months ago, even over a year ago."

The girls looked shocked. Ted then started to walk towards Audrey.

"Wait a minute, you mean you're with that freak?" A blonde asked.

Ted was furious. He turned around and glared at them.

"She is not a freak!" He snapped. "She's kind, artistic, and a much better person than any of you! And for your information, she's the reason why I went to look for a seed in the first place! I hadn't even heard of trees until she told me about them!"

The girls were shocked speechless. Ted then turned back around and went over to Audrey. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for standing up for me." She smiled.

"A-anytime." Ted smiled, lovesick.

They then went ahead on their date. They had many dates over the next two-three years. Then finally it was time for Audrey's prom. Ted was her date of course. Instead of using the usual flowers he had harvested tufts from Truffulas and knitted them to make a flower shape for Audrey's corsage. She loved it (that's no surprise) and the two had a great time. They weren't crowned king and queen but they didn't care. Three years later was Ted's prom with Audrey as his date and this time they were crowned king and queen.

Graduation neared for Ted, which gave him mixed emotions. He was glad to finally be getting out of school, and being of legal age meant that he could finally propose to Audrey, but he couldn't think of what job to have. He wanted a job that could help the town and valley but there were now a lot of jobs that did that. Plus he knew he'd need the money for Audrey's engagement ring, and their wedding and future life. Lorax heard about Ted's problem and wanted to help but he didn't know much about human careers other than which ones were environmentally friendly and which weren't.

It was now graduation day.

"I can't wait until Ted proposes." Audrey said happily to Lorax as they watched the ceremony.

"He will once he finds a job." Lorax said. "He wants a job that will help both the town and the valley and he can't think of one yet."

"It's okay, I can wait."


	5. The New Job and New Life

However three years passed and Ted still hadn't thought of a job. He was getting pretty frustrated by this point. Lorax paid him a visit one day...

"Hey Beansprout." Lorax said at Ted's window.

"Hey Mustache." Ted had taken up calling Lorax that a few years ago. "What's up?"

"Apart from the sky, clouds, and Swomee-Swans, nothing really." Lorax chuckled.

Ted didn't chuckle.

"Still having a hard time thinking of a job huh kid?" Lorax guessed.

"It's been three years and I still haven't decided." Ted nodded, sounding frustrated.

"Wish I could help, you know I still haven't repaid you for that cake you and Audrey gave me years ago."

Ted looked at him stunned.

"Seriously?"

"It's in my nature: reward gifts of food." Lorax shrugged. "It's like how Humming Fish are born to hum."

"Oh."

Suddenly they heard angry noises. Or one noise: Sally.

"Something wrong with Sunflower?" Lorax asked.

"Not really, it's just that things haven't been running that smoothly since O'Hare was sent away." Ted explained. "We haven't gotten a new mayor yet."

That's when Lorax got an idea.

"Ah." He said. "Well, hate to chat and leave but I'm gonna check on Love now."

"No problem."

Love was the name given to the first Truffula tree. It was called that because it was Ted and Audrey's love of nature that led to it being planted in the first place.

Lorax did go check on Love, but that wasn't his only stop. After checking on Love he paid a visit to the council.

"Mr. Lorax?" One member of the council said. "This is a surprise, and an honor. Normally you don't visit any buildings."

"Well I heard you guys haven't had a mayor in years and I was wondering why." Lorax explained.

"Oh, well most of the people are a little scared of appointing a new mayor because they keep worrying that he or she will turn out to be like O'Hare. We can authorize some things but others really need a mayor's approval."

"I don't know much about politics, but I do have an idea for your new mayor." Lorax smiled.

Later on, Ted heard his mom calling him. He went downstairs.

"What is it mom?" He said.

"These gentlemen have an important question for you." Sally explained, gesturing to some officials standing at the front door.

"Mr. Wiggins, we've heard that you haven't gotten a job yet am I right?" One official said.

"More like I can't decide on one, but yeah." Ted had no idea where this was going.

"Well, as you probably know the town hasn't had a mayor since O'Hare." The official continued. "So we were wondering if you'd like to become the new mayor."

Ted froze, overwhelmed. He hadn't even thought of becoming mayor before.

"I-I don't know..." He stammered.

"You don't have to decide right away." The official added. "We were just running the idea by you."

Ted didn't hear that, he was still thinking about the idea. Then he realized that becoming mayor was the perfect way to help the town and valley because it covered all angles. He smiled.

"I'd be honored to become the new mayor." He said.

The officials looked surprised, and Sally looked happy.

"Well, no one could ever be a better mayor than you." She said.

And so, Ted was made the new mayor of Thneedville.

First thing he did was to have the old mayor building torn down. He then used the materials to build a museum showcasing the history of Thneedville (starting from Once-ler's arrival to the valley) and a new mayor building that was only one story. When construction was complete Ted then ordered for a two-story house to be built near the mayor building...

A week after the two-story house started construction Ted took Audrey out on a picnic. They talked about Ted's new position as mayor and the new buildings as they ate. Then Ted took a detour to Love on their way back home.

"You know I named this tree Love for our love of nature, and for another reason." Ted said. "I also named it Love because it reflects my love for you: ever growing and long lasting. Of course my love for you can't be chopped down, but two out of three isn't bad."

"My love for you is the same way." Audrey smiled.

"That's good, because I have an important question to ask." Ted got down on one knee and opened a ring box. "Audrey, will you marry me?"

Audrey hugged him.

"Of course I will!" Audrey said happily. "I've been wanting to marry you for years!"

"Same here." Ted grinned.

Ted slipped the ring on Audrey's finger and they then kissed for a long time. When they broke free Audrey gazed at her engagement ring and was stunned.

"Wait a minute, this is the same ring Once-ler gave to Norma back when he proposed to her." Audrey realized.

"I know, Grammy said that it's your turn now to wear it." Ted smiled.

Audrey beamed and kissed him again. The next day, when they told their families, she thanked Norma for letting her have the engagement ring.

They prepared the wedding over the next few days. It was simple, the wedding cake was rainbow, using fruit flavors for each layer, with marshmallow frosting that looked like a cloud-filled sky. Once-ler and Lorax were the best men, and Pipsqueak was the ring bearer (literally).

Ted and Audrey then said their vows:

"To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, now and forever."

Once-ler and Norma were stunned, those were the exact same vows that they said on their wedding! They then were touched that Ted and Audrey had remembered those vows despite having heard the story almost a decade ago.

There was no honeymoon after the wedding. Instead Ted and Audrey moved right into their new home near the mayor building.

A few months later, Audrey was starting to feel a bit sick. She didn't tell Ted since he was still getting used to being mayor and so was often tired. Instead she went ahead and set up an appointment with the doctor. When she got the results the next evening, well, let's just say she immediately visited Ted in his office. She, Once-ler, Norma, Sally, and Lorax were the only ones allowed to see Ted without an appointment.

"Your wife is here to see you Mayor." Ted's secretary said.

"Great, show her in." Ted smiled; fortunately today wasn't that busy a day.

Audrey walked in beaming.

"I have great news Ted." Audrey grinned. "You're going to be a father."

Ted dropped his pen.

"Wait, you mean you're...?" He double-checked.

Audrey nodded, still grinning and even blushing a little.

Ted immediately got up from his desk, went over to her, hugged her, and spun her around.

"Forget the rest of business, I'm taking a break so that we can tell the family the great news!" He cheered.

Sure enough they went to tell the family. First they told Sally and Audrey's parents, and then the five of them visited Once-ler and Norma to tell them the good news. Lorax found out too of course. He and the family were very happy for Ted and Audrey. The family even went out to have a celebratory dinner. Heck even Lorax joined them, which surprised them all.

A few months later Ted and Audrey had gotten most of the baby things ready and were now discussing names.

"You know, I hope he looks entirely like you." Ted said. "Truffula hair and grass eyes. My hair and eyes are just mud."

"Don't forget, Truffulas and grass needs mud and dirt to grow and live." Audrey reminded him. "I just hope he looks like both of us. Your hair and my eyes or my hair and your eyes."

Months later Audrey realized that the baby was coming. She quickly dialed Ted's office number.

"Hello?" Ted answered the phone.

"Ted it's me, the baby's coming." Audrey said.

No answer.

"Honey?" Audrey frowned, confused.

Suddenly the front door burst opened. Startled, Audrey turned towards the front door and saw Ted standing there panting heavily.

"Get...in the...car..." Ted panted. "I'll...get...your suitcase."

Audrey did so and Ted quickly got her suitcase. He then headed for the car and drove her to the hospital. Practically rushed even.

After some time their new son was finally born. After being given his son Ted looked at him and saw that he had Audrey's hair and his eyes.

"He's so handsome, just like his father." Audrey smiled.

Ted smiled at his son...and then fainted from exhaustion. His head ended up on Audrey's shoulders, so Audrey just rested her head on his, took their son, and fell asleep.


	6. Lorax Meets Jr

About five years later, Ted and Audrey visited the valley for the first time in years. They went to Once-ler and Norma's place first.

"Hey there." Once-ler smiled to Ted and Audrey's son, who they brought. "How are things going?"

"They're going great." Ted and Audrey's son smiled. "Especially now that I'm here, I've been wanting to come here for years."

"In that case why don't you go off and play? I'm sure the Barb-a-loots would like to meet you." Ted smiled.

"Okay daddy." His son ran off.

Ted and Audrey continued talking to Once-ler and Norma.

Meanwhile, their son lost his balance on a hill and tumbled into a furry orange creature.

"Oh, sorry mister." Ted and Audrey's son apologized.

"It's okay, I'm used to it from the Barb-a-loot cubs." Lorax chuckled; he then saw some cubs tumbling nearby. "A little too used to it. Say, I haven't seen you here before-" Lorax stared as he saw what the kid looked like for the first time. "Though you look familiar. What's your name?"

"Lorax." The kid smiled.

Lorax froze, wide-eyed.

"What? But-but that's my name." He was obviously very stunned.

"Oh you're the creature who befriended Great-Grampy Once." Lorax the human smiled.

"You're Ted and Audrey's kid aren'tcha?" Lorax the creature realized.

"Yeah, mommy and daddy just brought me here." Lorax the human smiled.

"That means they're here too...excuse me." Lorax the creature headed for Once-ler's Lurkhim.

Lorax the human, confused, followed Lorax the creature.

"So, you named your son after me?" Lorax the creature asked Ted and Audrey upon reaching them.

"Yeah, we did." Ted smiled.

"Well...I'm flattered really...a bit stunned even..." Lorax the creature said awkwardly. "But, uh, you know naming your son Lorax will create confusion..."

"Actually his full name is Lorax Jr." Audrey explained.

"Ah." Lorax accepted this. "So, what kept you two? It's been years since you last visited."

"Sorry, but raising Lorax Jr and protecting Love took up a lot of our time." Ted explained. "Turns out O'Hare went underground after we planted Love and had recently tried to chop him down. Fortunately we caught on early and were able to stop O'Hare."

"Uh-huh, Ted put up a metal fence painted like a Truffula trunk around Love." Audrey giggled. "So when O'Hare tried to chop down Love his ax met metal, causing him to shake around."

"Yeah it was hilarious." Ted laughed. "Since he was busy shaking we were able to arrest him without any trouble. Kinda too bad though, I was hoping to form a truce with him. Oh well, it's his own fault for being stubborn and proud."

"And greedy." Audrey added.

Everyone else agreed.

The years passed. Lorax Jr soon revealed that he had inherited his parents' ability to talk to trees and animals. Eventually he grew up and joined the council, wanting to become mayor next once Ted retired. He also wanted to help the town and the valley, especially the valley. He was as much of a nature lover as his parents.


	7. Reincarnation

A.N. This chapter was inspired by a story I found called The Tallest Tree, by thesassylorax on Tumblr.

Many decades passed. Once-ler and Norma were now old. Ted and Audrey kinda were too, since they were only about a decade younger than them (physically I mean). Lorax Jr had a family of his own, though not all his kids inherited the ability to understand trees and animals. Only one, Norma Jr, who was more into nature than her brothers, inherited that ability. Her two brothers were named Once Jr and Jaime. Jaime had been Ted's father's name.

One evening Once-ler and Norma decided to sit outside and enjoy a Humming Fish/Swomee-Swan concert. They sat down on a clear hill, the scarves Ted and Audrey had given them decades ago wrapped around their necks. As the hours passed they grew more and more tired, until finally they decided to just lie down in each other's arms and go to sleep...

The next morning Ted and his family left on one of their trips to the valley. They stopped by the Lurkhim but found it unlocked and empty. Once-ler and Norma usually left it unlocked if they were out, since the animals kept non-family members away anyway, so Ted and his family figured that Once-ler and Norma had fallen asleep somewhere outside. They split up and went to look for them.

"Hey Beansprout." Lorax smiled as Ted walked by near him.

"Oh hey Mustache." Ted smiled. "Have you seen Grampy and Grammy anywhere?"

"Nah, but they're probably near the river." Lorax shrugged. "They like to listen to the music of the Humming Fish and Swomee-Swans during the evenings."

"Thanks." Ted called his family over and they all headed for the river.

"Whoa, look at that!" Once Jr pointed, having gone ahead.

The rest of the family caught up and stared. On a hill, which used to be clear, were two Truffula saplings. What made them stare was the fact that one was a light purple, a rare color, and one was...green.

"Weird." Lorax stared. "No Truffula has ever been green before."

Lorax and the Wiggins family went closer and studied the trees...that's when they saw two scarves around the trunks of the tree. Ted and Audrey picked them up.

"These-these are the scarves we made Once and Norma decades ago." Audrey stared. "You don't think...?"

They took another look at the saplings. Ted slowly lowered his finger towards the green one...which gently moved it's tufts across his finger.

"_Hello Ted._" A soft but familiar voice said.

"Grampy..." Ted gasped; he then looked at the purple one. "Grammy?"

"_Yes it's me._" A different but still familiar soft voice said.

"They...they turned into Truffulas." Lorax Jr said.

"They must've died last night and Mother Nature..." Audrey realized.

Ted suddenly smiled. For the first time, he wasn't hurt by death. This time, he was just at peace.

Not too much later, Sally visited the valley with the urn containing her husband's ashes. She knew she was dying next and wanted to be by her parents with her husband spread out near her. This time the rest of the family was able to say their goodbyes before Sally died. And this time, they actually saw her being turned into a Truffula sapling. But then to their surprise a second sapling sprouted next to her. Sally had become lavender, but the new sapling was a light blue.

"_Hello son_." A voice Ted hadn't heard in decades said.

"Dad!" Ted gasped happily; he then hugged the light blue sapling as gently as he could.

He and his dad spent many hours talking. Most of the rest of the family left, but Audrey and Lorax Jr stayed to chat with Jaime Sr as well. Jaime Jr, wanting to get to know his namesake, stayed too.

Later Ted and Audrey were next, and they became really special Truffulas: striped Truffulas. Ted became red and orange and Audrey became green and blue.

And that was the last of the new breed of Truffulas, the rest of the family became part of the wind.

Future people knew the story behind these different-colored-fruitless Truffulas, for Lorax spent many hours each day talking to those trees. Because of that the area of the new Truffulas became a favorite hangout for couples. Lorax never had to worry about someone coming to chop down any of the trees in the valley, for the town, especially Lorax Jr's descendants, continued to protect the valley for centuries.


End file.
